The natural course of chronic pain in a general population: Stability and change in an eight-wave longitudinal study over four years (the HUNT pain study)

Estimates of prevalence of chronic pain vary from 9% to 64% in the general population.24,42 One of the most important factors accounting for this substantial variance is inconsistency in the operational definitions used in various studies.42 This problem stems mainly from lack of a clear and standardized definition of chronic pain. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) proposed that pain lasting for longer than three months32,46 and for research purposes, six months, should be the working definition of chronic pain.
Source: The Journal of Pain - Category: Materials Science Authors: Tags: Original Reports Source Type: research